Olivia Manning - The Balkan Triligy

Much has changed in Bucharest since 1938 when this book is set, but a lot hasn’t. Olivia Manning I think was a woman with remarkable powers of observation, her writing has an almost forensic quality about it with each character dissected with almost forensic detail. The first moments of the book tell us almost ( Read more... )

Reviews ( Read more... )

In keeping with my new year’s resolution to keep track of what I have read:

The alabaster girl.

I am not the target audience of this work. As such I found it oft-times rather risible.

I have met them before, those men who love women, who are addicted to their company and delight in simply sitting in the same room as one even without talking. ( Read more... )

1. 
   What did you do in 2016 that you'd never done before?
   Got engaged, split up with and got back together with someone, seen a hoopoo, gone t Danube Delta, written for 16 hours, celebrated a birthday in Czech Republic and gatecrashed a 3 year old's birthday. Driven on the right, failed to pass a course first time, eaten rabbit.
   
   2. Did you ( Read more... )

1. What did you do in 2014 that you'd never done before ( Read more... )

I lack the philosophical tools for this, but the case in France made me think.

The Charlie Hebdo murders were wrong. Absolutely wrong, there is no questions of that.

Yet my mind hasn't been on that,, but the more abstract notion of goodness. More specifically, does goodness exist in the abstract? What is it? Like pornography 'we know it when we ( Read more... )

Probably the biggest thing I dislike about this country is the goldfish bowl aspect. Except for going to the souk where one may people watch happily for hours(an activity alas which taxi fares prohibit too often) it's not really a culture for a westerner, certainly not a female, to walk around in ( Read more... )

1. What did you do in 2014 that you'd never done before ( Read more... )

There are a lot of cats around our compound, although lately I have seen rather fewer of them ( Read more... )

I keep comparing the KSA, mostly unfavourably, to Russia. This is I think natural, I lived there for 3 years and I liked it, I do not like KSA. My job is absurd at best and I am counting down the 6 months till I can get the hell out of here ( Read more... )